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January: BLUEBERRY PEACH PIE
February: RED VELVET CAKE
March: MUD SEASON MADNESS CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
April: SHARON'S SKY-HIGH BISCUITS
May: ROASTED ASPARAGUS
June: STRAWBERRY RHUBARB TART
July: BASIC PUREED VEGETABLE SOUPS
August: SCALLOPS WITH CIDER, GERWURZTRAMINER
AND SAGE
September: WALNUT APPLE CAKE
October: ROSEMARY CORN CAKES
November: YANKEE PECAN MAPLE PIE
December: POTATO LATKES
Crust: 2 cups flour, pinch of salt, 1 Tbls sugar. Blend
in Cuisinart. Add 6 T. Butter, blend til fine. Add 4 generous
T. Crisco. Blend til well mixed. Slowly dribble in 3-4 T.
of ice water. The weather will determine the amount. Blend
until it holds together. Take out and finish forming on a
sheet of waxed paper. Cut in half and shape into two rounds.
Pastry has memory so shape those rounds. Wrap in waxed paper
and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
Filling. 4 cups of fresh blueberries. 6-8 peaches thinly
sliced. Squeeze over this the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mix together
1 cup of sugar, 3 T tapioca, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg,
and the grated rind of one lemon. Mix into the fruit and
let sit while you roll out the crust.
Roll out the bottom crust. Place in pie plate. Pour in
the fruit. Spread out evenly. Roll out top crust. Lay over
the fruit. Seal the edges with your favorite technique. Cut
4 vents into the top crust. Dust with sugar.
Place in a preheated 400 oven on a heated baking sheet
and bake for 50 minutes or until the fruit bubbles out of
the vents. If your oven runs hot, be certain to turn the
oven down after 15 minutes.
Serve with cinnamon whipped cream or Ben and Jerry's Vanilla
ice cream.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of sugar
2 cups of oil 2 eggs
2.5 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cocoa
2 Tbsp red food color
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
Cream sugar and oil. Add eggs and beat well. Sift flour,
soda and salt. Mix cocoa , red food color and vinegar. Add
to sugar mixture. Sift dry ingredients into egg mixture alternating
with buttermilk and vanilla. Put into 2-4 BUTTERED AND FLOURED
round pans ( 8-9 inches ) bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.
Cool and invert to cool completely Frosting.: Cream 1 stick
of butter with 8 oz. cream cheese. Sift in 1 box of 10x sugar.
Add milk to the right consistency for spreading. Add 1 tsp.
vanilla extract and 1 cup of chopped nuts. Spread between
layers and on the outside of the cake. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
10 Ounces of bitter or semi sweet chocolate. chopped
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of heavy cream chilled
3 jumbo eggs
2 T. of Sugar
Place chocolate and butter in top of double boiler and
melt slowly. Stir occasionally.
Chill mixing bowl and beater attachment. Whip cream till
soft peaks or ribbons form.
Place egg yolks and sugar in separate bowl and whisk till
smooth.
Beat whites till soft peaks form.
Stir chocolate into egg yolk mixture. Stir till even.
Scrape whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Stir till combined.
Fold in egg whites till combined.
Put into a gorgeous glass dish and chill.
Ingredients:
2 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. Baking Powder
1/2 T. Baking soda
2 T. sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 Tsp cream of tartar
Mix all together in large bowl.
Cut in 3/4 c. of butter with pastry cutter or forks.
Mix 1 egg and 1 c. buttermilk and add to flour mix till
the mixture is moistened and sticks together.
Roll or pat into form 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter
2.5 inches round cut out and place on baking sheet.
Bake at 425 on top shelf of oven. 15-18 minutes depending
on your oven.
Makes approximately 20. Rumor has it these are great with
mustard and ham for Easter.
Purchase the amount of asparagus that you want. One pound
serves 3-4 guests. Break off the hard ends and rinse. Place
in a baking dish. Toss with good quality olive oil, a little
balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. (Do not drown in oil or
vinegar.) Break up garlic cloves, peel . Leave whole or slice
and toss with asparagus. Bake at 350 until wilted and cooked
through. Serve warm or at room temp.
Ingredients:
1 10 inch short dough tart shell blind baked. Use your favorite
recipe for pastry crust.
1.5 lbs rhubarb, enough for 5 cups
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 T. Strawberry Liquor
2 pints strawberries Current Glaze
Wash rhubarb. Trim and cut into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces. Toss
in bowl with sugar, cornstarch and liquor. Spread in an even
layer in the blind baked tart shell. Sprinkle any sugar left
in bowl over the top. Bake until rhubarb is soft and thick,
about an hour. Cool to room temp.
Wash and hull strawberries. Cut them in half and arrange
in concentric circles over the rhubarb. Warm current jam
or strawberry jelly til starts to liquify. Using a pastry
brush, brush a thin layer over the fruit. Serve at room temp
A dollup of whipped cream wouldn't hurt either.
This recipe can be adapted to your preferences. Choose one
or more vegetables from the list or substitute your own.
Ingredients:
Chopped onions.
Grated vegetable: summer squash, zucchini, broccoli, etc.
Your choice of fresh or dried herbs
Butter or olive oil
Broth: chicken, vegetable cubes, etc.
Milk or cream if necessary
Saute onions in butter or olive oil til golden. Meanwhile
grate vegetable in a food processor or chop by hand. Add
to pot and mix into onions. Place a piece of waxed paper
over the pot and add the lid and simmer for 15 minutes or
so. This is called sweating the vegetables. It releases and
intensifies the flavor. Add the seasoning plus salt and pepper,
broth and simmer until soft. Puree in a food processor. Add
cream as desired.
Some combinations to try: summer squash or zucchini and
sage; broccoli and curry; or carrot and ginger.
Ingredients:
1 c. apple cider
1/2 cup gerwurztrsaminer
6 T unsalted butter
1 pound sea scallops
s and p
1 granny smith apple unpeeled, cut into matchsticks
16 leaves sage
2 T fresh lemon juice
Boil cider and wine in a large heavy skillet for about 10
min until reduced to 3 T. Put aside in a bowl. Wipe out the
skillet and add 2 T of the butter, melt. Wash and dry the
scallops. Season with salt and pepper. Cook in the brown
butter about 2 min each side. Transfer to a platter and keep
warm.
Add the rest of the buttr to the skillet. Add cider mix,
apple, sage, lemon juice and cook til apple is tender and
glazed. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the scallops
and serve.
*Adapted from Rosso and Lukin's Silver Palate Cookbook.
Ingredients:
4 Cups Chopped Apples - 1-1/2 lbs
2 Cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Calvados (French Apple Liquer)
Combine and let stand.
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
Beat eggs and oil -- add vanilla.
2 Cups Flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Sift dry ingredients together.
1 cup nuts
Optional:
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Add dry ingredients and apple mix alternately to oil egg
mix, fold in nuts, (raisins & nutmeg) if using.
Bake 350 - 1 hour in a 13x9 pan, greased and floured.
Let stand and cool.
Glaze with 10x icing or cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients:
1 stick plus 6 T. unslated butter, room temp
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 & 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. cornmeal
1 T. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary plus sprigs for decoration
1/2 c. heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl beat the butter and
brown sugar on medium speed til light and fluffy.
Beat in honey, egg, and egg yolk. Scrape down the bowl
with the rubber spatula. Beat in flour, cornmeal, baking
powder, salt, and finely chopped rosemary. Pour in the cream
and blend well. The dough will be quite sticky.
On a generously floured work surface, with floured hands,
pat the dough into an 8 x 12 rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Using 2 1/2 inch round cutter dipped in flour cut into individual
cakes. Gently pat the dough scraps together and cut more
cakes.
Place the cakes 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet
and place a tiny rosemary sprig on the corner of each cake.
Bake 30-35 minutes til bottoms are golden brown. Let the
cakes rest for a few minutes on the baking sheet. They are
very fragile and tender, but ohhhh soooo yummmy. Using a
spatula carefully transfer the cakes to a rack to cool. or
eat them right away.
You could try whole wheat pastry flour for the white. Have
fun.
8 servings
Ingredients:
Lemon Crust
1 & 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 T. sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) well-chilled unslated butter cut into pieces
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 egg yolk
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 or 2 T. cold water
Filling
6 T. (3/4 stick) unslated butter, room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 T. all purpose flour
1 cup pure maple syrup
3 T golden rum
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2 & 1/2 cups toasted pecans, chopped coarsely
1 cup pecan halves
Vanilla-Rum Whipped Cream (see below)
For crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in food processor.
Using on/off turns, cut in the butter and lemon peel until
the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running,
add egg yolk, lemon juice and just enough water to bind the
dough. Gather dough into ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap
in waxed paper and plastic. Refrigerate for at least three
hours and up to 1 day ahead.
Roll pastry out on lightly floured surface to 1/4- to 1/2-inch
thick round. Transfer round to 9-inch pie pan with 1 1/2-inch
sides. Double edges over and crimp to form high, decorative
edge. Refrigerate at least three hours.
Position rack on lower third of oven and preheat to 425û
F. Pierce crust all over with fork. Line with parchment or
foil; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Make until
crust is set, about 12 minutes. Remove weights and paper.
Continue baking until light brown, about 6 minutes more.
Cool on rack. Reduce temperature to 350û F.
For Filling: Using electric mixer, cream the butter
until light. Add sugar and salt and beat until light and
fluffy. Mix in eggs 1 at a time. Blend in flour, then maple
syrup, rum, vanilla, and lemon peel. Fold in chopped pecans.
Pour filling into crust. Place pie on a foil-lined heavy
baking sheet with rim. Arrange pecan halves around edge of
pie. Place pie on baking sheet and into the oven, baking
until filling puffs slightly in center, about 40 minutes.
Cool completely on rack. Serve with Vanilla-Rum Whipped Cream.
Vanilla-Rum Whipped Cream
Makes about 4 cups
2 cups well-chilled whipping cream
3 T. golden rum
1 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Whip all the ingredients together in a large bowl until
soft peaks form.
Its December and time for Hanukkah. So here's my favorite
recipe for potato latkes.
Ingredients:
6 potatoes ( about 2 lbs, peeled and grated )
1 medium onion, peeled and finely grated
2 extra large eggs, well beaten
3 T. flour or matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
peanut oil for frying
Grate potatoes in the cuisinart and drop into a bowl of
ice with ice water. Drain, remove ice and wring dry in a
tea towel. Get out as much moisture as possible. Do a little
at a time wringing over the sink. Put the potatoes in a bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients minus the oil. Mix thoroughly.
Heat an electric fry pan to 365 and cover the bottom with
1/2 inch of oil. When the oil is hot carefully add spoonfuls
of the batter. Do not crowd. Gently flatten with spatula.
Cook until set and crispy on first side. Flip and do the
same. ( remember to keep stirring the batter as you use it.)
Remove to a sheet pan lined with paper towels or brown paper
bags. Let the latkes drain. Place on a dish and garnish with
sour cream and or applesauce. Or just more salt and pepper.
My favorite is to use Yukon Gold potatoes. But to try something
really delicious use White Sweet Potatoes or mix them with
the Yukon Golds.
Remember, there may only be eight nights to Hanukkah but
you can eat these all year round.
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